January 24, 2012

The zodiac, your horoscope, tea leaves...people have been trying to make sense of human attributes since the dawn of dirt. Corporations pay big money to navigate these muddied waters and will train employees to better understand personality types to harness them for productivity. I recently revisited one such matrix, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which hypothesizes that it’s possible to distill human characteristics into 16 personality types. David Keirsey later mapped these types into four general temperaments: the Artisan, Rational, Guardian and Idealist.

I jokingly wondered if these metrics have ever been applied to an expedition setting; exhaustion, hunger, and cold, wet conditions can quickly strip insulate layers of city life, exposing our reptilian ids. What may seems like "character" over coffee can reveal itself in spades below the crux. I began to contemplate my past adventures and consider what I could glean from temperament theory to apply toward my own trips. Here’s what I found. Keep reading for discussions with ultrahiker Andrew Skurka, mountain biker Rebecca Rusch, and veteran adventure racer Michael Tobin about their "types."

December 29, 2011

The Upchuck 50K is one of the toughest trail races in the country, and in just a few years has become a cult classic, and a sought-after hardman notch in the belt. It tackles some of the most wild and technical terrain in the Cumberlands. Race entires are limited, with an admission process. And race day is bare bones—no sponsors, minimal aid stations, just “you, alone in the woods.”

As with most things, it's best to spend some time with a subject, which in this case was both the trail runners and the woods itself. Rather than shoot any race footage at all, I gathered some stories and shot some interviews with some of the racers and founders of the Upchuck, then spent a few days along the trail with friend and photography student Jake Wheeler shooting black and white photography and some video of the course. It’s a different kind of race that attracts a wild and quirky crowd. Let me know what you think.

March 04, 2011

We usually don’t pay much attention to motor races, but the Dakar is not just any race. Originally known as the Dakar Rally and tracing a wilderness path from Paris to Senegal, it has long been known as one of the grandest, and most dangerous motor races on Earth. Despite its name, it now takes place in South America, where it moved in 2009 due to terrorism threats. This year’s route took racers in cars, trucks, dune buggies, and motorcycles through Argentinian grasslands, Andean mountain passes, and the driest place on the planet, the Atacama. No one is as exposed to the elements as much as the motorcyclists—the category that has historically incurred the most fatalities—but it’s all in a day’s work for this year’s winner, Marc Coma. Coma is a 34-year-old Spaniard from the town of Aviá, near Barcelona. This year marks his third Dakar win. Adventure tracked him down after the race to see what it’s like riding over 3,102 miles (5,000 kilometers) of wilderness on nothing but a bike and prayer.—Tetsuhiko Endo

Adventure: Being a professional motorcyclist is a childhood dream of many—like being a fireman or a rock star. Have you always wanted to do this? Marc Coma: My relationship with bikes started almost from birth. It's all about passion. I’m very lucky to be able to do what I love the most in this life. I’ve ridden bikes since I was so young, and as the years passed I just got more and more involved. The progression was so natural. I always have fun when I start the engine, it’s as simple as that.

February 28, 2011

The long, cold winter is winding down for most of us, but in Alaska, they are gearing up for one last hurrah. That’s right, the 86th Iditarod kicks off March 6. The dogsledding race goes from Anchorage to Nome, a distance of over 1,150 miles, passing through every kind terrain and weather that America’s 49th state has to offer—deep forests, desolate tundra, frozen rivers, mountain passes, windswept coastal plains, rain storms, snow storms, and the occasional gale-force wind. It may not be the last great race, as it is sometimes called, but it is certainly one of them.

“It's rich history is what makes it unique among dogsleding races,” says four-time Iditarod champ Lance Mackey. “The Iditarod Trail has been used as a route between villages for ages, for supplies and for travel during the Gold Rush days. When the diphtheria outbreak hit in 1925, the Iditarod Trail was used to save the lives of the people of Nome. You can’t help but think about this when you’re driving a team on this route.”

July 05, 2010

Since the popularization of whitewater rafting and kayaking, the North Fork of the Payette has become one of North America's premier stretches of whitewater with 15 miles of continuous Class V rapids, including the infamous series of drops known as "Jacob's Ladder." Record rainfall in the region has swelled the river to unprecedented levels over the last two weeks and some of the world's best kayakers have taken the plunge into never before paddled conditions. Check out this video clip of the mayhem at Canoe and Kayak magazine.

June 01, 2010

National Geographic Digital Media's Korena Di Roma will be traveling to South Africa to report on the Comrades Marathon, the start of the World Cup, and World Vision's humanitarian efforts in the country. Follow her dispatches here. Photographs by Korena di Roma

Single-leg amputee Paul Martin lifts his sponsored child—born without
arms—at the 60-kilometer point near Field's Hill. Martin completed the
race in 10 hours and 30 minutes.

For months I’ve been preparing to be in South Africa to see Team World Vision run the Comrades Marathon, and I admit that I had no idea what to expect. But of all the possible outcomes, seeing all 18 team members cross the finish line before the 12-hour cutoff was unforgettable.

May 29, 2010

National Geographic Digital Media's Korena Di Roma will be traveling to South Africa to report on the Comrades Marathon, the start of the World Cup, and World Vision's humanitarian efforts in the country. Follow her dispatches here.Pictured: A Team World Vision training run in Durban; photograph by Andrea Peer/World Vision

I’m at the hotel in Durban, South Africa, a seaside city that’s buzzing with the energy of both the Comrades Marathon and the World Cup. Since stepping into the South African Airways boarding area at JFK, I’ve been wondering what decorated walls, magazine covers, and complimentary packets of airline toothpaste before the World Cup came to South Africa. Writing from a hotel across the street from the Comrades finish line and within sight of the city’s nautical Moses Mabhida Stadium, I’m thrilled to be here to witness it all.

May 20, 2010

National Geographic Digital Media's Korena Di Roma will be traveling to South Africa to report on the Comrades Marathon, the start of the World Cup, and World Vision's humanitarian efforts in the country. Follow her dispatches here.

It’s been called the greatest footrace on Earth—56 miles through the brutal, hilly terrain between two South African cities. It’s a race that rivets the sports-loving country each year, and this spring it will take place for the 85th time just two weeks before the inaugural match of the 2010 World Cup.

The Comrades Marathon began in 1921 as a living memorial to South Africans who fought in World War I. That year, 34 runners took on the course between Pietermaritzburg and the coastal city of Durban. Today it’s the world’s oldest ultramarathon and, with nearly 17,000 runners set to participate, it’s also the world’s largest.

April 13, 2010

There are few adventures that can take you from the ridge of an 18,000-foot snow-capped volcano to a stretch of sandy beach and blue ocean in just one trip. In Veracruz, Mexico, you can do it on foot. Esprit Whitewater offers the experience in the form of their eight-day Expedition Adventure Race training program. Hike, bike, and paddle your way from "Pico 2 Playa," and learn racing strategies, as well. Led by top adventure racers like Canada's Lawrence Foster, "this is an adventure travel trip on steroids," says Esprit founder Jim Coffey. You'll spend your long days navigating the area's pristine wilderness and your evenings at a luxury campsite where happy hour and dinner await. And the best part? No other tourists in sight. "It's like Costa Rica 25 years ago," says Coffey. "International tourism hasn't caught on there yet." So get to know the locals, though they might shy away as you ditch your bike, crack open the champagne, and run cheering into the Gulf to culminate your trip.—Greer Schott

March 29, 2010

How about running 47 miles in shoe-melting heat with just tire rubber strapped to your feet? A top American ultramarathoner ventures deep into Mexico’s Copper Canyons to learn the secrets of the Tarahumara, the world’s greatest runners.

Text and photographs by Will Harlan

Last March, I journeyed deep into the Copper Canyons of northwest Mexico to run with the indigenous Tarahumara, widely regarded as the world’s greatest endurance athletes. Made famous recently by Christopher McDougall’s bestselling book Born to Run, the Tarahumara scratch a living out of barren, rocky soil, growing ancient varieties of corn and beans. Most live in caves and tiny huts scattered throughout four monstrous, river-carved chasms—each deeper than the Grand Canyon. Through steep canyons and blistering heat, they run—wearing hand-made sandals called huaraches, which consist of used tire rubber wrapped to their feet.

How do Tarahumara run for hundreds of miles in such primitive footwear? To Nike-clad runners like myself, the answer was painfully simple: they just do it. Barefoot Tarahumara children build calluses and foot strength from an early age on the rocky, rugged canyon trails. They rarely get injured, thanks to their running lifestyle and efficient biomechanics.